WHO WE ARE
Footlights Foundation is a collective of artists, educators, and creative thinkers working to build more inclusive and empathetic social environments.
Footlights Foundation is a collective of artists, educators, and creative thinkers working to build more inclusive and empathetic social environments. We believe that inequality is both structural and thus embodied. It lives in language, behaviour, gestures, and other everyday interactions.
Footlights Foundation is a collective of artists, educators, and creative thinkers working to build more inclusive and empathetic social environments. We believe that inequality is both structural and thus embodied. It lives in language, behaviour, gestures, and other everyday interactions.
We believe that inequality is both structural and thus embodied. It lives in language, behaviour, gestures, and other everyday interactions.
Our work engages people across roles and experiences: those who are navigating exclusion, as well as those who shape everyday environments, decisions, and cultures and can become champions of Inclusion in their own domains. Our programmes create space for both personal reflection and collective responsibility.
Our Team
We like to work with people that understand the importance of good communication, for brands that have good things to show and belive in what they’re doing.
Gauri Bakshi(she/her)
Founder and Somatic Practitioner
she/her
Gauri Bakshi is a dynamic theatre practitioner with over a decade of experience captivating diverse audiences across all age groups. A passionate storyteller, Gauri specializes in writing and adapting stories for children and young people, while also creating thought-provoking performances for adults.
Anurima Chatterjee
Educator
she/her
Anurima Chatterjee brings over 14 years of experience in curriculum design, social-emotional learning, and program leadership across schools, universities, and large-scale development projects.
Jaya Iyer
advisor
she/her
Jaya Iyer brings over 35 years of pioneering work at the intersection of theatre, education, and social transformation.
YSK Prerana
advisor
they/them
YSK Prerana works at the intersection of writing, language, and socially engaged arts. They are currently working with Footlights Foundation, bringing together art, communication, and strategy to build more inclusive social environments
Past members
Kalansh Gala
Role
he/him
Kalansh Gala has been a writer since he was 8. The only constant through changing cities, schools, and professions has been writing. To him, it's the first way he expresses his thoughts and understands the world.
Shalwyn
Role
they/them
Shalwin Yoosuf (they/them) is a researcher from Kerala, working at the intersections of social policy, access to justice, and gender.
Our Team
We like to work with people that understand the importance of good communication, for brands that have good things to show and belive in what they’re doing.
Gauri Bakshi(she/her)
Founder and Somatic Practitioner
she/her
Gauri Bakshi is a dynamic theatre practitioner with over a decade of experience captivating diverse audiences across all age groups. A passionate storyteller, Gauri specializes in writing and adapting stories for children and young people, while also creating thought-provoking performances for adults.
Anurima Chatterjee
Educator
she/her
Anurima Chatterjee brings over 14 years of experience in curriculum design, social-emotional learning, and program leadership across schools, universities, and large-scale development projects.
Jaya Iyer
advisor
she/her
Jaya Iyer brings over 35 years of pioneering work at the intersection of theatre, education, and social transformation.
YSK Prerana
advisor
they/them
YSK Prerana works at the intersection of writing, language, and socially engaged arts. They are currently working with Footlights Foundation, bringing together art, communication, and strategy to build more inclusive social environments
Past members
Kalansh Gala
Role
he/him
Kalansh Gala has been a writer since he was 8. The only constant through changing cities, schools, and professions has been writing. To him, it's the first way he expresses his thoughts and understands the world.
Shalwyn
Role
they/them
Shalwin Yoosuf (they/them) is a researcher from Kerala, working at the intersections of social policy, access to justice, and gender.
Our Team
We like to work with people that understand the importance of good communication, for brands that have good things to show and belive in what they’re doing.
Gauri Bakshi(she/her)
Founder and Somatic Practitioner
she/her
Gauri Bakshi is a dynamic theatre practitioner with over a decade of experience captivating diverse audiences across all age groups. A passionate storyteller, Gauri specializes in writing and adapting stories for children and young people, while also creating thought-provoking performances for adults.
Anurima Chatterjee
Educator
she/her
Anurima Chatterjee brings over 14 years of experience in curriculum design, social-emotional learning, and program leadership across schools, universities, and large-scale development projects.
Jaya Iyer
advisor
she/her
Jaya Iyer brings over 35 years of pioneering work at the intersection of theatre, education, and social transformation.
YSK Prerana
advisor
they/them
YSK Prerana works at the intersection of writing, language, and socially engaged arts. They are currently working with Footlights Foundation, bringing together art, communication, and strategy to build more inclusive social environments
Past members
Kalansh Gala
Role
he/him
Kalansh Gala has been a writer since he was 8. The only constant through changing cities, schools, and professions has been writing. To him, it's the first way he expresses his thoughts and understands the world.
Shalwyn
Role
they/them
Shalwin Yoosuf (they/them) is a researcher from Kerala, working at the intersections of social policy, access to justice, and gender.
Why This Work Matters
Across homes, classrooms, and workplaces, people learn:
What is acceptable?
What is shamed?
What is encouraged
What is quietly discouraged
These patterns shape how individuals see themselves and others. Over time, they influence both sense of self and belonging. Footlights works to gently shift these patterns by creating spaces where people can notice, reflect, and respond differently.
Why This Work Matters
Across homes, classrooms, and workplaces, people learn:
What is acceptable?
What is shamed?
What is encouraged
What is quietly discouraged
These patterns shape how individuals see themselves and others. Over time, they influence both sense of self and belonging. Footlights works to gently shift these patterns by creating spaces where people can notice, reflect, and respond differently.
Changing culture through art, storytelling & human connection
Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved. @Footlights Foundation
Changing culture through art, storytelling & human connection
Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved. @Footlights Foundation
Changing culture through art, storytelling & human connection
Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved. @Footlights Foundation